Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

Flight club

Two boxers exchange punches in front of an audience at Aeroplane Garden in Santacruz West.

Great heights

For many of us, this pandemic has been the most inactive period of our lives, what with us being cooped up at home most of the time. But that's not the case for Mumbai-based actor Anuritta K Jha who, along with her friend Roopali Beri from Ludhiana, set off on an epic off-road cycle ride to explore the Atal Tunnel and Rohtang Pass close to Manali in Himachal Pradesh. "The best part was the lack of tourists. The roads were almost near empty and the weather was perfect for the ride," Jha shared with this diarist, adding that she enjoyed pushing herself beyond her physical limits. That's good going.

Striking a chord in rural Maharashtra

Sacred Games actor Rajshri Deshpande, who runs the NGO Nabhangan Foundation that works for rural development, recently took to Instagram to share a touching video. It featured a group of young girls from the Varkari tribe singing bhakti music under the guidance of their elderly music teacher. Despite being talented musicians and singers, these girls who belong to Hatnur village in Kannad taluka of Aurangabad had no access to musical instruments. And so the actor posted an open call to people to come forward and pledge any spare instruments. Deshpande told this diarist, "Some of them are orphans; others don't live with their families. The Mauli Varkari Shikshan Sanstha Kanya Ashram cares for and educates them as well. I was moved by their talent and recently visited the village to donate a harmonium, tabla and flute. I believe every rural school should have access to traditional instruments." If you'd like to extend a helping hand too, email nabhanganfoundation5@gmail.com.

Reaching heights that are Thai high

Thai restaurant, Nara, is seeing off 2020 on a high. The Colaba outlet recently received the Thai Select award from the Ministry of Commerce, Thailand. It is a certificate of authenticity of Thai food.

About the achievement, Karyna Bajaj, executive director at Ka Hospitality, which runs the brand, shared, "Our team has been so amazing during this difficult time, and an acclamation like this, along with the love and support, motivates us. It's an honour to receive this certificate from the Thai Consulate-General. We strived to stay true to our ethos - to serve authentic Thai food using the freshest ingredients."

Designs for the community

A new online platform promises to bring architects and interior designers closer to artists for commissioned projects. The pandemic has affected all three streams, and Eztablish.ART - the website concerned - is designed as a business-to-business initiative that can make integration between the different people a smooth process. Some of the artists whose works are being showcased include Arzan Khambatta (in pic), Bandana Jain, Anand Menon, Shruti Jhaveri, Sushma Bengani and Karishma Wadhwa. "The site not only features artworks by artists but also shows their real-world applications in their previous projects, making it simpler for architects and interior designers to review and assess their capabilities," shared Aziz Amin of Eztablish.ART.

A literary pitch

Sandeep Patil is a man who has worn many hats. He's been an actor, selector, coach, and has even showed off his cooking chops on a TV programme. The life of this multifaceted man will now be documented in an autobiography, tentatively titled Beyond the Boundary Line. Patil has collaborated with mid-day's group sports editor, Clayton Murzello (after their book on anecdotes, Caught and Told), while cricket connoisseur Sachin Bajaj will publish the book.

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